Microsoft Windows Defender 7

Previously known as Microsoft AntiSpyware, this anti-spyware software gets a new name and an official release (it's been in beta through most of 2006).

It works like any other spyware detector, offering you the choice of either a Quick Scan or a slower Deep Scan. Choose the Deep Scan and you can select specific folders to be scanned, and/or your PC's memory.

It offers optional real-time protection, which activates various checkpoints throughout a PC's system in order to prevent spyware being installed.

Also optional is integration with the SpyNet community. This means that any potential spyware threats on your PC are sent to a central database, where the results are analysed and signatures made available to protect you.

It runs a little slowly, and in a quick test against the popular spyware tool Ad-Aware, it was beaten hands down. Things have been improved in this release, but it is still a long way from being a serious challenger to other anti-spyware tools (click here for a short guide on anti-spyware tools).

In order to download this software you need to go through the Windows Genuine Advantage validation procedure on your operating system. A little annoying.

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